| Derek Cox - William & Mary
Junior - Defensive Back What’s up? My name is Derek Cox and I play football for William and Mary!! Most people around campus know me as D.C., D. Cox, or Cox. There have been times when I’ve called someone over the phone and referred to myself as Derek and they had no idea who I was. It’s quite humbling, but I understand because a lot of guys on the team receive short names or nicknames. I am currently a junior in my class and a sophomore on the field. My intention for this blog is to help you become more acquainted with me. I am going to provide some self-disclosure, which entails where I’m from, why I came to William & Mary, what I am studying, my position on the football team, and more. That is a lot of ground to cover, but don’t worry, I also understand the importance of being concise. I’m from Greenville, North Carolina. One of the top college towns located on the east coast. East Carolina University is the best way to remember where I’m from. The beach is only an hour and a half away and colleges like N.C. State, UNC Chapel Hill, and Duke aren’t much further away. William & Mary is less than three hours away from Greenville - which is very convenient. I get jokes all the time from my teammates about there being nothing close to me but farms and cows. They think I’m just some country boy living by all the southern stereotypes. I can’t deny all of their claims because some are true. I have done my share of sweet potato picking and dirt bomb fights in tobacco fields. To borrow a phrase – “There ain’t nothing wrong with being country!” Everybody always attributes their coming to William & Mary because of the academics. Not me, saying I came here just for academics is a little too typical and politically correct. While the academic opportunities definitely factored into my decision-making, I made my choice based on much more than professors and class work. The biggest contributor to my choice was the chemistry I had with my teammates. I visited Appalachian State University, Wofford College, Coastal Carolina, and the College. The personalities of the players at William & Mary by far exceeded other schools and grabbed my attention. I had a lot in common with my host. For one, we both had strong religious beliefs. The logic behind my decision was simple. I realized the majority of my time would be spent with my teammates, so I better pick ones I can relate to on and off the field. My experience thus far has been nothing short of exciting and thrilling. I absolutely love my teammates and cherish every moment I spend with them. We form a fraternity, a band of brothers, and experiencing the camaraderie that develops is a reward by itself. Currently I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing. I am also considering concentrating in entrepreneurship. My ultimate goal is to become a sports agent. If that doesn’t work I still want to find a way to be involved with sports. I’ve also considered taking my concentration and using that along with construction management. Nothing’s finalized but above all I realize the sky is the limit. On the football field I’m rocking jersey number 37. My position is referred to either as defensive back or cornerback, people use them interchangeably. I’m on defense and my job is to lock down wide receivers, don’t let them catch the ball and ultimately prevent the offense from scoring. Winter conditioning has come to a closing and Spring Football has just begun. In the up and coming weeks I will be keeping you in touch with our progress, our new defensive coordinator (Coach Bob Shoop), pre-practice fun, post practice fun, classes, the whole nine yards. You weren’t privy to much this week but don’t get discouraged as the best is yet to come. I’ll catch you later, Derek Cox
D.C. |